Anchor post



May 21, 1935- c. GREENE l 2,001,719 ANCHOR POST Q Filed Aug. 29. 1952 Patented May 21, 1935 Curtis Greene', San Diego, Calif.

` Application August 29, 1932, Serial No. 630,880

7 Claims.

My invention relates to anchor posts for any purpose requiring a post securely set in the ground, such as fences and the like.

Among the objects of the invention is to provide an anchor post which, when installed in the ground, will be held very firmly and securely against withdrawaLoverturning and twisting.

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Another object is to provide such anl anchor post that will be very simple in construction, strong, durable, inexpensive to manufacture and light and compact for shipment.

Another object is to provide such an anchor post that will be very easy to install in the ground, requiring no excavation or backfll, being composed of thin, pointed parts adapted to penetrate all classes of soil, each of which in turn is driven in lengthwise, and which form, when Vso driveri, a rigid, branched system,` supported by the soil; and which may readily be removed from the ground, when required, by drawing out the parts separately.

Other objects and advantages will appear as the description progresses.

In this specification and the accompanying drawing the invention is disclosed in its preferred form. It is to be understood, however, that it is not limited to this form, because it may be embodied in other forms without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the claims following the description.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a form of my anchor post installed in the ground, with the earth broken away to show all parts.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a slightly modi fled form of my anchor post installed in the Y ground, ,with the earth broken away and all parts shown fragmentarily.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation detail of an anchor bar separate from the post.

Fig. 4 is an end View of the same. v

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional View of the same, taken on the line V-V of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view of a slightly modifled form of the same, taken on a corresponding line.

The anchor post comprises a post and one or more anchor bars. y

'Ihe post I may be of any type commonly used for Vfence posts and-the like, but is preferably of steel, either a structural shape vsuch as an angle,

as shown in Fig. 1, ora pipe, as shown in Fig. 2,

galvanized or painted as a protection against rust. Its lower end is pointed so that it may be easily driven in the ground 2.

The anchor bars 3 are fairly broad,'thin strips of metal of uniform cross section, preferably gal- 'vanized or painted steel, for strength and low cost. 'I'he cross section may be rectangular, as shown in Fig. 6 of the drawing, but is preferably 5 concavo-convex as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. They are helically twisted from end to end, the total amount of twist being preferably about 135 or three-eighths of a full turn. One end is pinoted and the other end cutoff squarely. From the l0 pointed end the helical twist is of a uniform pitch to within a short distance of the squarely cut end, and the remaining portion has a pitch either more or less abrupt than the major portion. The latter form is shown in the drawing.

At a point on the post distant from its lower end about the depth it will be driven to when installed in the ground, the two slots I are provided for each anchor bar, one a little farther from the lower end of the post than the other, 20 through oppositcly disposed portions of the walls of the shape or pipe, as shown in Fig. 2, or through. oppositely disposed extensions thereto formed by a bracket plate 5 riveted or welded to the shape or pipe and bent outwardly there- 25 from near its two ends to form parallel walls, as shown in Fig. 1. The two slots are so formed Ithat when an anchorbar is inserted, with its pointed end forward, through rst the upper and then the lower slot it ts the edges of the slots 30 loosely and lies with its longitudinal axis at an angle of about to the axis of the post. These slots are diagonally disposed with respect to each other and same are shaped and arranged to conform substantially to the helical twist of the 35 anchor bar 3.

Figs. 1 and 2 show anchor posts with two anchor bars each, but only one, or more than two may beprovided through oppositely disposed slots in the post walls or the end portions of" suitably 40 vlocated bracket plates to suit the strength of anchorage it is desired to provide. -A

When the anchor post is to be installed in the ground, the post alone is first driven in vertically nearly to the slots. The anchor bar or anchor 45 bars are then thrust through the proper slots far enough for the pointed ends to extend a little beyond the lower slots, and the post is driven further until the upper slots are just buried. Each anchor bar in turn is then driven in until the uniformly twisted portion has passed through the slots, and the remaining portion, being twisted with a, greater or less pitch, becomes rigidly locked between the pair of slots when driven as far as it win go.

This means of holding and locking the anchor bars has the advantage not only of great siming the anchor bars, the upper ends are more or less upset, and this gives ample bearing for removing them in the above manner.

It will be noted that my anchor bars are more effective, weight for weight, than other forms for the following reasons:-

(1) When the anchor post is installed in the ground, the anchor bars are effective in resisting withdrawal and overturning of the post through their bearing on the soil, and their form brings the broadest effective bearing surface at the portion farthest from the junction with the post, and therefore farthest underground and most strongly supported by overlying soil and with the most extended leverage to resist overturning the post.

(2) The longest vertical dimension of each anchor bar occupies a position at the junction of the bar with the post, where the bending moment caused by any force tending to withdraw or overturn the post is greatest, and from said junction the vertical dimension of the bar gradually decreases as the bending moment decreases.

(3) Forces tending to twist the post, having as a rule far less leverage than overturning forces, are amply provided for in bearing and in strength.

(4) When driven through the slots into the soil, these anchor bars cut smoothly without in the least disturbing the adjacent soil, thus leaving it compact and in condition to afford the maximum support per unit of area.

(5) The concave-convex cross section shown as the preferred form provides sufficient longitudinal stiffness with the least thickness of metal, and also gives more eilicient bearing on the soil to counteract withdrawal or overturning of the post than a flat bar would.

These anchor bars also have the advantage of requiring only substantially vertical slots for anchorage, making it possible in some forms of post to place the slots in the post without a bracket plate without weakening it too much, and where a bracket plate is used, making it small and compact.

Having thus described this invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:`

1. In a device of the class described, a post, an

anchor bar co-operable therewith and comprising a helically twisted longitudinal strip with an elongated cross section, and means on the post having oppositely disposed slots into which the anchor bar is adapted to be driven.

2. In a device of the class described, a post, an anchor bar co-operable therewith and comprising a helically twisted longitudinal strip with an elongated concave-convex cross section, and means on the post having oppositely disposed slots into which the anchor bar is adapted to be driven.

3. In a device of the class described, a post, an anchor bar co-operable therewith and comprising a helically twisted longitudinal strip with an elongated cross section, the helical twist having a more abrupt pitch in one portion than in the remaining portion of said strip, and means on the post having oppositely disposed slots into which the anchor bar is adapted to be driven for a portion of its length.

4. The combination with a fence post, and an anchor therefor, the latter comprising 'a plurality of helical strips of stiff material, of means on the post into which the strips are adapted to bespirally driven until precalculated lengths of the strips are projected laterally of the post and locked thereto.

5. A post, a helically twisted anchor bar, and a portion on the post having passages through which the bar is' adapted to be moved, said passages serving to support the bar at an anchoring angle to the post when the bar is moved to one position and the said bar having a portion formed to co-act with the passages to establish a locking action between said portion and the walls of the passages when the bar is in said anchoring position.

6. In a device of the class described, a post, an anchor bar co-operable therewith and comprising a helically twisted longitudinal strip, and means on the post having slots arranged and disposed to accommodate the strip for sliding movement diagonally of the post, the helical twist of the strip being substantially uniform throughout the major portion of its length and the pitch of the remaining portion of said strip being different than that of said major portion and l adapted when engaged with the walls of said slots to set up a binding engagement therewith so as to lock the strip in an anchoring position.

7. A fence post; a helically twisted anchor bar;

and diagonally slotted means on the post through' which thebar can be driven while in a diagonal position; the bar and the slot of said post means being shaped to co-act with each other to limit the movement of the bar in an anchoring direction.

CURTIS GREENE. 

